These Photographs of Mine
by Faulty Paragon
Summary: Kaede is forced to play the unexpected role of matchmaker, and she hates it. Also, Kotetsu needs to stop looking at her things without permission.


THESE PHOTOGRAPHS OF MINE

Kaede had never been more tired.

With a sigh, the thirteen-year-old ripped off her specially-designed anti-NEXT gloves and tossed them onto the slipper rack by the door. "I'm home," she called, but she knew that she would get no response. Her grandmother had already let her know that she'd be out all evening, so there was no need to wait up for her.

After _weeks_ with no break at Hero Academy, Kaede had finally been granted permission to visit her grandmother back at home. Her schoolwork had been heavily draining her, and wearing the anti-NEXT gloves – custom-made to nullify her powers when she lived her day-to-day life – was tiring in a way she couldn't explain, as it sucked her power dry and expelled the residual energy into the air constantly.

She knew it was important to wear them, unfortunately, despite how exhausting the toll was when she was travelling. The alternate was far worse, lest she accidentally touch a levitating NEXT again and suddenly start floating away.

Or, with her luck, she'd run into that one NEXT that just sweat uncontrollably. Now _that_ had been an _awful_ thirty seconds of sweating that she never wanted to experience again.

But to make this trip even worse, it had been the _second_ trip of its kind in as many days. The first time she had returned to Oriental Town, she had forgotten her summer homework in her dorm room, and had to go all the way back to retrieve it.

Every bone in her body ached from fatigue. Kaede climbed up the stairs, ignoring the rumbling of her stomach and beelining to her bedroom instead. "I'm so tired-" she muttered, pushing open the door, anticipating the empty bed she had missed for so long.

But the path to her bed was _not_ clear, like she expected. Instead, it was blocked by a familiarly white-vested man, his broad, strong back hunched over as he slid one of the bottom drawers on her desk shut. The man stood up straight, fixed his cap upon his head, and spun around, an eager smile on his face as he gazed at what he held in his hand – a simple photograph.

From the album in her desk.

 _Oh no._

"Dad!" she shrieked, leaping forward to snatch the photo out of her father's hand. A fierce blush fought its way up towards her cheeks, chest heaving with embarrassment and her fingers clenched tightly around the precious photo she had ripped from his hands.

Kotetsu was just as mortified as she was, the burning red climbing all the way to the tips of his ears. "O-oh, sorry honey," he stuttered, pulling off his trademark flat cap to scratch the back of his head. His nervous laugh was high-pitched, lips twitching, his eyes frantically darting up towards the ceiling as he tried to come up with some lie or the other. "You're home! So, um, so early. Welcome back, sweetie!"

"Whatever dad, what the heck were you doing in here?" she screeched, stomping her foot on the ground. She threw her backpack down and glared at him, eyes glinting dangerously.

Kotetsu had clearly not been ready for this outcome. "I just wanted to, uh, see what you were into lately. We haven't hung out as much, and I thought I could welcome you back by, so, um-" With a flash of inspiration, he jumped up. "A gift!"

As he spoke, she positioned herself protectively in front of her desk. "A gift?" Kaede raised an eyebrow skeptically and crossed her arms, awaiting the stupidity about to emerge.

"Yes! A gift for my lovely daughter, Kaede – that's you, sweetie –" he stumbled through his words, desperately trying to keep the smile on his face.

Before he could continue, however, Kaede grabbed a small teddy bear from the side of her bed. "Get out!" she cried, surprising him with a teddy to the face, causing him to fall backwards and out of her room.

"Now don't be like that, honey-" Kotetsu stammered, but was met with a slammed door in his face. His voice, now muffled, weakly called, "Kaede?"

The young woman didn't respond. Face still burning red, she flicked the lock on her door, ran to her desk, and ripped open the bottom drawer.

Although it had been almost two years since she had found out about her father's double life as a superhero, she still couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to spend time with _the_ Barnaby. The blonde had been her idol for years, and his handsome face and strong figure had only improved with four years on the job under his belt.

Even after meeting him multiple times (he had become sort of a regular in the Kaburagi household, since Kotetsu seemed to be a clumsy idiot who needed babysitting from his partner at all times), Kaede still couldn't hold back her wistful gazes and sighs whenever Barnaby came over to visit her and her grandmother. She didn't mind having him around, not at all – the young man was absolutely perfect, after all. His manners, his looks, his strength, his fashion – everything was so classy, and he spoke to her so fondly that her heart always jumped through her chest whenever he was around.

But having him around had definitely jeopardized the sanctity of her little Barnaby photo album, as she had taken to calling her collection. She had long since moved her collection down to this bottommost drawer whenever she was home from the Academy. Her father had found her it back when Barnaby had first saved her life, which was horrifying enough; but Kaede's heart would probably explode from humiliation if Barnaby _himself_ ever found her little album. It was only natural that she had tucked it away under old notes and textbooks.

Flipping open the album to a magazine cut-out of Barnaby posing shirtless, she ran a thumb over his face. "What in the world was Dad doing, looking at this?" she muttered, taking a seat on the bed idly. She flicked through the pages, a smile growing on her face as she watched his evolution through the pages of the album. There was him when he had gotten a haircut and surprised the masses – that was when he had tried the beard, which _definitely_ was hot, albeit not really his style – here was the return of the longer hair, but now a lack of bangs-

Suddenly, she paused. There was a sizable blank on one of the most recent pages in the album – where there had once been a crisp photo of Barnaby in an elegantly tailored grey suit, there was now just an empty page. And the photo that she had taken from her father was _not_ the one missing on that page. Frantically, Kaede skimmed the other pages, noticing other blanks as well. "What the hell?" Leaping from her bed, she threw open the bottom drawer once more and removed the pile of books from inside, glancing through a sheaf of papers to see if the photographs had slipped out. Still, nothing. "Where the heck did they go?"

Finding nothing, she crossed her arms and thought. She had brought the album home the day before, during her first trip back from the Academy. There hadn't been any that had fallen out in her dormitory, and the only two places she had ever taken the book out of her backpack were her two bedrooms, so there was no way the photos had simply slipped off the pages.

Then why were there so many missing?

 _Wait a second,_ she thought, furrowing her brow. _Did Dad take them?_

There was no reason for her father to have taken those photos – he could see Barnaby every day! What in the world would he need her album (of mostly topless photos) for anyways?

She sighed, examining the picture she had grabbed back from Kotetsu. The photograph had been from an editorial spread featuring Wild Tiger and Barnaby, the two men posed coolly back to back. She had removed her father's side and kept that in a separate album (which she'd never admit to having, but slaved over _religiously_ ) and placed Barnaby's beautiful photo in her album.

"You look so cute in this picture, Bunny," she murmured, using the nickname Kotetsu always used for the younger man. She ran her thumb over his handsome smile. Placing him back into the album's pages, she returned the book to its proper place, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared herself to host an interrogation the likes of which Wild Tiger had _never_ seen before.

xXx

Kaede slammed her foot on the counter beside her father's head, leaning in menacingly. "So where might my photos be, Dad? Answer me!"

"Honey please keep your voice down!" Kotetsu cried, grabbing his daughter and covering her mouth.

She pulled away and sighed heavily, but complied. In a harsh whisper, she continued, "Why'd you take my Barnaby photos? You get to see him everyday, that's so not fair!"

"I'm sorry Kaede, Daddy just took the one-"

"No you didn't!" she huffed, shoving a hand into his pocket and pulling out a tiny wad of photographs. " _And_ you had the audacity to _crease some of them in your pocket?_ For shame, Wild Tiger!"

Kotetsu held his hands up, pleading innocent. "I'm sorry sweetie, I really am, I don't know what I was thinking, okay?" His face had changed completely from its normal tan to a bright splotchy red, his forehead sweating profusely. "I'll give them all back, I just thought-"

"You just thought _what,_ exactly?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "Entertain me, father. I'm curious."

He sighed, running his hands wildly through his hair. "You know, maybe I shouldn't-"

"You are going to tell me, otherwise I'm telling Uncle Masa that you that you were looking at shirtless pictures of Barnaby!" Kaede giggled fiercely at the thought; she had previously shown her uncle all the creepy blogs about how Wild Tiger and Barnaby should just "fall in love" and how they're the "perfect couple", and Muramasa hadn't spoken to her for a week after she showed him the slash fanfiction people had begun writing at the Academy for the two idol heroes.

"Oh my _god Kaede please don't,_ " he squealed, clapping his hands together in prayer. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. I just…"

She hummed expectantly.

Kotetsu tilted his chair back, rubbing his face furiously. Kaede shifted uncomfortably, watching as his former blustering persona suddenly fell away, leaving only her father, riddled with some insecurities that she couldn't even begin to guess. "God, I don't know how to say this," he muttered, defeat and fear evident in his voice.

The air in the room suddenly hung heavy. There were no more jokes happening, and she knew it. Pulling up another kitchen chair to face him, she sat down and crossed her ankles. She could sense the sincerity in his discomfort, and knew that he was being truly genuine; however, the sheer awkwardness in his voice made her realize that she'd come across something he had never really wanted her to know about.

If she was a good daughter, she'd let this go. Maybe.

 _But I'm curious. And he looks stressed._ She justified her next words in her mind, shrugged and continued on.

"So, you're telling me that there's a reason that you needed photos of Barnaby," she started slowly.

He nodded miserably, dropping his head into his hands.

"And, you're telling me that you don't want to tell me the reason," she continued.

He nodded again.

"And this reason is something you don't want anyone, especially Uncle Masa, to know about."

"Oh god no," he muttered against his palms.

She nodded, thinking of the situation. "Okay. How about this – I'll give you an option, and all you have to say is yes or no." When he didn't respond, she added, "Or I can continue interrogating you loudly, so when Grandma comes home she sees us and demands what's going on."

Kotetsu grumbled, "Okay, fine, fine."

She sat up straight, pleased. "Alright then!" Thinking hard, she focused on possible reasons he might need Barnaby's photos.

"Well, yes or no- you needed pictures and you felt embarrassed going and buying them yourself in case if someone found out."

"Yes," he replied miserably.

"Are you… doing voodoo or black magic on it?" she asked hopefully.

He raised an eyebrow. "We both know that all I know how to cook up is fried rice, Kaede."

"And lies! You're great at making up lies!" she added brightly, but seeing his crestfallen face, she said, "It's a joke, Dad. You didn't tell me you were Wild Tiger. Grandma and I still laugh about how long you hid it. Chill out."

He pouted, the expression so natural that it was almost disturbing on this man in his forties.

"Anyways," she pushed on through the storm cloud Kotetsu immediately surrounding himself with, "Are you trying to play a joke on Barnaby?" When he shook his head, Kaede groaned. "Well, then, I can't think of any other reason that you would want those photos! Well, unless you secretly had a crush on him and wanted to fanboy too."

Kotetsu froze from head to toe, even his breath halting in his shock. Kaede watched him in concern, waiting for him to start breathing again – but he never did.

"Dad? Dad! Dad, breathe!"

Her father gasped for air, suddenly moving again as if his petrification had been undone by a spell. However, as he came back to life from the shock, Kaede herself started to freeze, the gears in her mind turning.

After a moment, she murmured, "You didn't answer that."

He began laughing sheepishly, playfully faking his stopped breath once more. "Honey, you surprised me so much I had a heart attack right then and there! Imagine that? The headlines would be crazy! _Wild Tiger, champion of justice, hero of Sternbild City, stopped in his tracks by the loveliest teeny bopper of them all-_ "

"Answer the question, dad," she insisted.

Kotetsu stopped his exaggerated speech, quickly turning back into the sullen figure he had been a moment earlier. "It's not important, Kaede," he begged. "Let it go."

Her eyes widened, and she leaned in, voice barely above a whisper. "Do you… _like_ Barnaby?"

His eyes stopped, transfixed on his lap, before a mildly hysterical giggle started bubbling up his throat. "Of course I do, honey, he's my trusted partner!"

"No," she interrupted, "I know that. But do you want him to be your… _partner_?"

" _Kaede!_ " Kotetsu shrieked, standing up in a panic. He shook his head like crazy, a terrified expression on his face, and ran out of the front door without any shoes. A few moments later, he returned, still terrified, still shaking his head back and forth. He slowed to a jog as he approached her, finally dragging his feet and plopping himself down into his chair. Hanging his head in his hands, he whispered in the smallest voice, "Daddy's screwed, huh, honey?"

"Oh my lord, Dad," she responded, covering her own gasp with her hand.

Her father? Was in love? With _Barnaby Brooks Jr.?_

She sat back in her chair, mind racing with possibilities. If he and Barnaby went out, that meant her father was at least bisexual. Did she have a problem with that? _Not really, no. I think anyone would like Barnaby._ Okay. Next question. Would she be okay with Barnaby being like a parental figure to her, as her father's… _boyfriend?_

 _EEW NO. NO. NOPE. DAD CAN'T DATE. NOPE. ESPECIALLY NOT BARNABY. BARNABY'S MINE. NEVER. NOPE._

Totally unaware of her internal screaming, Kotetsu sobbed quietly. Cautiously, she said, "We're still playing, you know. So, um, have you ever thought about telling him your feelings- don't talk, Dad, just nod or shake, you look like you'll really have a stroke or something if you talk."

Mutely, he nodded.

"Will you ever tell him your feelings?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kotetsu stood up and paced to the window, resting his forehead on the glass. "It's not that easy, sweetie."

She frowned. "Why not?"

He held up his hand and started listing off reasons, one by one. "Well, 1: imagine if I did, and he said no. We're _partners,_ Kaede – all our teamwork would go down the drain! He'd never speak to me again!"

"Maybe. Continue."

"Okay. Number 2: I am technically old enough to be his father! I've been in the hero industry since he was basically in diapers!"

"Larger age gaps have happened, and you've gotta admit, he may be less experienced, but he sure seems more knowledgeable on the field!" she jabbed lightly, but backpedaled on his tired expression. "Right. Sorry. Continue."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, I dunno, maybe the fact that he's kind of _straight?_ And, with that matter, _so am I?_ "

She shook her head. "That's not true, though – I mean, if you find him attractive enough that you want to steal your thirteen-year-old daughter's shirtless photos of him, then I'd say you're pretty attracted to him… and that means at least 50% of this potential partnership is queer!"

Kotetsu collapsed on the chair again, groaning, "Great. 50%. Maybe." He cried. "Exactly what I needed – questioning my sexuality. Exactly what I freaking needed."

Kaede looked at her father in concern, taking in his defeated expression. He was absolutely distraught, and trying to hide it, she realized in horror, slowly understanding the reality of the situation. When he had said it earlier, she had felt it was sort of a joke, but… seeing her father actually so torn up…

 _He_ actually _has a crush on Barnaby, doesn't he?_

Her father rubbed his eyes, weariness exuding from every pore.

 _Well,_ she finally decided, gritting her teeth, _if that's how he feels… someone's got to cheer him on._

Kaede laughed, patting him on the back. "Actually, Dad," she began, thinking through her words carefully, "I'd say that your chances of success are much higher than you'd think."

He looked up at her through his fingers skeptically. "Prove it," he pouted childishly. "I dare you."

Kaede stood up straight, holding up her own hand to count reasons on them. "I mean, it could totally work. 1: you two are partners, and you're always together. When you're always with someone, you start to see their good points _and_ their bad points, true, but the charm also has so much more of an effect."

"Really now?"

She held up a second finger. "2: You already show affection for each other on the field."

Kotetsu sat up straight at that. "Okay, no we don't-"

"Okay, yes you do," she insisted. "How many times has Barnaby caught you with a princess carry?"

Kotetsu blushed even fiercer. "Barnaby has never caught me and you've seen _nothing_ Kaede."

She giggled. "Oh, you wish. He catches you all the time! So, there. Moving on. 3: you probably train together, right? See each other work up a sweat? Be all _manly_ together?" He nodded. "Reason 4: what is Barnaby always bragging about being able to cook better than you?"

"Fried rice," Kotetsu sighed. "So?"

"Who _doesn't really care about_ fried rice that much?"

"You and Barnaby."

"Who's favourite food is fried rice?" she pushed.

Slowly, Kotetsu's eyes widened. "Wait a second, he actually did tell me he didn't really like fried rice… so why do we always eat fried rice together?" His horrified expression made Kaede snicker evilly inside. _Damn. I'm good at these pep talks, even when I don't believe in them. Go me._

Kaede grinned triumphantly. "While you think about that, all I can say is 5: you already talk to each other like high school sweethearts who got married and turned into a loving but crotchety old couple, so…"

He spluttered indignantly. "Okay, no we don't Kaede, we talk like perfectly professional partners."

She raised her eyebrows and held up both her hands, making little puppets with her fingers. " _You're so stupid, Tiger, you should've more tactically thought that out,"_ she said mockingly, moving one hand. With the other, she said, " _Well maybe_ you _should've not done your job wrong, little Bunny." "My name isn't Bunny, it's Barnaby." "Oh, is the Bunny sad, boohoo." "Whatever old man, I'll just leave you behind and get points." "Whatever old man-" "Don't mock me-"_

"Okay, okay," Kotetsu relented, grabbing both her hands, "we sometimes bicker a bit-"

Deadpan, she said, "You sound like a old couple from a shoujo manga, Dad."

Sitting at the edge of his chair, he leaned towards her. "Do you really think I might have a chance?" he asked in a small voice.

She leaned towards him, nodding resolutely. "Absolutely," she lied through her teeth.

Kotetsu stood up slowly, nodding his head. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, sweetie," he said, gaining confidence with every word. "There's no reason why he wouldn't be attracted. He shows signs – what've I got to lose? I'm a hero, dammit! I've got to show some courage!"

He slapped his knees, pumped his fist in the air, nodded vigorously, and grabbed his jacket from the coatrack. "Kaede, sweetie, I'm going back to Sternbild, okay!"

"Right now? But you just got here, didn't you?" she protested, jumping up to follow him to the front door.

Her father suavely flashed her a grin, winking and giving her a thumbs up. "Daddy has some grownup conversations to hold," he explained happily, all confidence and bluster and courage that barely existed thirty seconds before.

She sighed, massaging her temples. "Whatever. 'K. Be safe on your way there."

"I will, thank you, love you honey!" he called as he ran out the door.

Barely a moment after he turned the corner of their street, her grandmother opened the door. "What in the world was your idiot father up to?" she asked wryly, shuffling into the house. Kaede instantly sprang forward, trading the usual "Welcome home" and "I'm back" as she helped the older woman carry her bags into the house.

"He's… just being Dad," she offered weakly. _Oh god, imagine how Grandma would react if she knew what that was about…_

Anju shook her head, clicking her tongue at her younger son's odd behaviour. Of course he had come in, disgruntled his daughter, then run off without even saying hello to his mother.

After setting all the bags inside, making some tea, and talking about Kaede's trip back from Hero Academy, the question was about to burst from Kaede's lungs. She ran a nervous finger around the surface of the table, avoiding all eye contact as she asked, "Hey, Gran?"

"What is it, Kaede?"

"What would you do if all the "Wild Tiger and Barnaby are a couple!" rumours got confirmed?" she asked hesitantly.

Anju rolled her eyes. "Have people been talking about them at school? God knows Hero TV won't stop being obsessed about that topic on their tabloids."

Kaede pressed, "But, seriously Grandma - would you care?"

She studied her granddaughter carefully, eye squinted and mistrusting. Slowly, she said, "Your father was still my son when people called him a murderer, a criminal, or just an idiot. What's wrong with calling him my son if he should bring someone like Barnaby home?" The old woman sipped her tea heartily, sighing. "If he were to bring home someone, I wouldn't mind Barnaby. He's a nice boy. Cares a lot."

Something warm bubbled up in Kaede's chest. _Look at you, Gran. Bein' cool. You're awesome._

The woman settled into her seat in the dining room, and Kaede took the silence which followed as an opportunity to run upstairs and rearrange her photo album after the whirlwind known as Kotetsu Kaburagi.

 _Well. At least my Barnaby album is whole again._ At least, that was until she found the last empty spot after she had already put the rest of the stolen photos away. She glared so hard at the hole in the album that her eyes could've burned right through the page.

"Dad, _why are you always like this!_ " she shrieked, ignoring the holler from her grandmother below. Angrily, she dialed her father's number.

" _What is it?_ " her father responded, all smiles on the other end.

She brought the phone directly before her lips, taking a deep breath and yelling, "Give me back my photos, Dad!"

" _But I thought you were okay with-"_

"I'm okay with you having a crush! Fix my photo album!" she screeched.

Suddenly, she could hear newspapers crumpling on the other end. "Oh, no, honey, I think the connection's breaking," he called, the newspaper sound becoming more and more prominent.

Kaede groaned. Was this really happening? Was he really faking a network disruption in order to hang up on her and keep a photo of Barnaby?

 _He's got it bad. Idiot Dad._ She hung up and lied down, allowing herself to finally get the rest she needed after that long voyage home.

xXx

"Our heroes face another crisis in Sternbild City today, as they chase down an armoured vehicle with trained gunmen inside. It has been confirmed that the men _are_ indeed armed and dangerous, and there is one hostage to retrieve as well. Oh, what will our heroes do to rescue them?"

"Grandma, a new Hero TV episode is on!" Kaede yelled, ignoring the rest of her homework and opening the Hero TV stream full screen on her laptop. The announcer continued to provide commentary as the heroes began their epic chase, one by one, with Fire Emblem in the lead.

Suddenly, Kaede's attention was solely focused on one figure on screen. "And here we have our leading tag-team duo, Tiger and Barnaby, entering the scene! Will they score another victory to their long list of heroic accomplishments? Will the city once again find themselves cheering for this unlikely, but utterly loveable, duo? Let's find out!"

"Oh, shut up and let them work," Kaede muttered, clutching her pillow in her lap. As she watched the two men cut the criminals off, her father activating his 100 Power Timer and ripping off the windshield, she cried, "Go Dad go! You can do it!"

Suddenly, bullets hailed upon the green Wild Tiger armour. Kaede shrieked a little, honing in on the assault on her father. "No, Dad! Beat them up!"

The bullets didn't break through his armour, however; instead, he simply reached through the windshield, dragged out the three men responsible by their collars, kicked their guns aside and held them up to the cameras. On the other side of the truck, Barnaby opened the back and lifted the civilian who had been taken hostage. The announcer rang up their points on the screen, calling, "Tiger and Bunny are our true heroes today!"

Kaede chuckled, watching as the police came and arrested the criminals. In the background of the scene, Fire Emblem stood pouting, with Blue Rose standing beside him in a similar state. Rock Bison's theme song could be heard blaring from a distance (of course he hadn't arrived yet), and Dragon Kid was already packing up to leave. Sky High saluted the superhero duo below his and flew off into the distance. She squinted at the screen, and noticed Origami Cyclone aggressively showing off his sponsor's logo from behind a police car. All in all, a regular day on Hero TV.

Closing the Hero TV tab, Kaede let herself fall backwards onto her bed, letting her held breath out with a long sigh. She rolled over to one side, feeling the tension drain out of her body. "That idiot," she muttered, but her lips were curled into a smile, the image of her father poised heroically over the city lingering beneath her eyelids. _Thank God he's safe,_ she thought, sighing contentedly and snuggling her pillow.

It had been two months since she had begun her blissful vacation in Oriental Town, and two months since her awkward talk with her father. With her trip coming to an end, and a new semester looming over the horizon, Kaede was comfortably enjoying the last few days she had in silence before heading back to the Academy.

Kotetsu hadn't ever mentioned anything about Barnaby since then. While a part of her felt relieved that she didn't have to be put into that uncomfortable coaching situation again, another part of her (probably the darkest part) was morbidly curious as to what he had done after he had raced out of the house, confidence shining endlessly in his eyes.

Yet another part of her couldn't help but whisper, _And what if he and Barnaby actually date?_

She snorted. As if that would happen.

 _Oh well. Whatever he does, he'll come crying to me anyways, and I'll have to give him a hug and comfort him. Maybe next time I'll share some of my Barnaby pics, if he's extra sad._ She paused, thinking it over, then giggled. _Nah. Maybe I'll just look at them in front of him and not let him see. That'd be cool._

A small beeping jarred her out of her relaxed state. Kaede jumped a little, reaching over to grab the smartphone perched on her desk nearby. The light shone in her face as the phone flashed, a message icon scrolling on the lock screen. "Dad?" she grumbled, rolling onto her back and clicking the message open.

There was not a living soul in the neighbourhood who did not hear the scream which erupted from her mouth.

Kaede was on fire. Her eyes were alight, burning brighter with excitement and wonder than ever before. Her smile pulled her cheeks so high, the soreness was immediate, but nothing could dampen her mood. Not even the worried knocking on the door from her grandmother could take away from this impeccable moment.

Filling the screen was a candid photograph of Barnaby Brooks Jr. himself, lying back on a bed, arms raised over his head, his bare chest shining with a faint sheen of sweat. His eyes were heavy-lidded, flushed lips parted, a blush tinging his pale skin, contrasting sharply with his mussed blonde hair. Every curve of his beautiful chest and abs was streamlined down to the defined, and still _very bare,_ hip and v-line, where the photo cut off.

It was every fantasy she had never wanted to admit herself to having.

Suddenly, she noticed something strange at the bottom of the photograph. Right at the bottom edge, it looked like two bony knees, poking into the frame from either side of Barnaby's hips, the tan skin contrasting with Barnaby's paler self and against the starkly white sheets below them.

Kaede froze. Looked at the sender of the photo; her idiot father – looked at the photo of herself and her father, framed nicely and upright on her desk – back at the knees in the photo, decidedly bare – back at her father.

He had always been the most tanned Kaburagi.

" _Dad, you moron!_ " she shrieked, shutting her phone off and throwing it across the room, burying her face in the pillow. She let out a long, long scream, trying to banish the images constructing themselves in _far too much detail_ in her mind. The photograph had been taken by _someone,_ after all – and she knew _exactly who had done it._

The text accompanying the picture had read, "Thanks for the support, honey! Here's another for your collection as thanks!"

She hated the idiots she had been cursed with in life. _This is so unfair._


End file.
